The restaurant beat out 348 other submissions and nine other finalists for the title.

61 Chop House Grille also reached the top 10 designation for this award in 2011 with its Barn Burger, a saucy layered concoction topped with homemade onion straws.

Restaurant chef Terry Reis and his wife Lori Denney said they created the Angus Black Crown Burger specifically for the Iowa’s Best Burger contest. While the triumvirate of tangy toppings seems likely to render the actual burger a moot point, apparently the beefiness shined through enough to win over the secret panel of judges.

“This is quite a feather in our cap,” Reis said Thursday shortly after the announcement and an accompanying lunch rush. “I knew a couple of weeks ago and it was really hard to keep it a secret.”

Reis suggests that diners who order the Crown Burger resist the temptation to adulterate its carefully crafted flavors with anything as banal as ketchup and mustard.

“Food is art,” he said, “and you don’t need to add anything.”

Reis’ goal for this year’s entry was to walk a fine line. “I wanted it to be ‘out there’ but not too ‘out there.’ It had to be not too hot but not too bland.”

The honor offers more than just bragging rights. The 2011 Barn Burger top-10 honor increased hamburger sales by an impressive 40 percent for the restaurant — even more impressive for the fact that Mediapolis is a town of just about 1,500 beef-loving souls.

The other top 10 nominees, who received the most nominations, were: Elm’s Club, Creston; First Street Grille, Keosauqua; JB’s Bar & Grill, Marcus; Rosco’s, Norwalk; Sam’s Sodas and Sandwiches, Carroll; The Ritz, Arnold’s Park. Each top-10 burger was evaluated by a secret panel of judges who rated the hamburgers based on taste, appearance and proper serving temperature. Last year’s winner was the Coon Bowl III in Coon Rapids.

But a word of warning for all of next year’s Best Burger wannabes: Reis is not going to rest on his laurels.